There are four basic kungfu weapons, two short ones and two long ones. All
of the other weapons derive from these four. These basic four bear a slight
northern accent. Some southern styles emphasize only two basic weapons: the
long pole and the butterfly swords. We will, however, honor these basic
four, since they are more universal.

Long weapons are generally taller than the user and require both hands.
Most of these are pole arms, and kungfu has hundreds of variations of pole
arms alone. Every weird pole arm head has a different Chinese name, some
of which are redundant and overlapping.

Short weapons can be used one handed, like a sword. Generally speaking,
these are personal side arms. Many of these when used in pairs are twin
weapons, although our twin weapon list is limited to those weapons that
are only used as twins. Furthermore, some short weapons have soft
versions.

Soft weapons, or flexible weapons, have a joint or are attached to a rope.
These weapons require great skill, since they are always changing. Many of
these can also be hidden weapons, since they are very compact when
collapsed.

Twin weapons are two mirror-image weapons, one held in each hand. In
modern kungfu, the practice of twin weapons balances out the left hand
with the right, since many styles have a predetermined dominance.

Hidden weapons are a fascinating sub-topic of Chinese weaponry. Used to
expand the range of offense beyond close combat, a great number of
ingenious hidden weapons were created to surprise the enemy. Small enough
to be hidden in a sleeve or robe, and particularly useful in a surprise
attack or when you are outnumbered, these are generally small weapons,
with the exception of the bows.